


The Junction

by TheNarcolepticOne



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Character Death, False Accusations, Gen, Mind Games, Mutilation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-21
Updated: 2015-06-10
Packaged: 2018-01-25 22:40:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1665125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNarcolepticOne/pseuds/TheNarcolepticOne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The ethnically diverse trio of friends decide to venture into an unknown cavern in order to commemorate the day of their relationship. Along the way, a threatening concept decides for itself to enter their lives, and a defined catchphrase soon begins to make logical sense. An old concept, Nation!AU headcannon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anything, I'd like to clarify that this story was an RP between a friend and I (as to not give this credit solely onto myself) back in 2013. The FF.net postings don't seem too lenient on graphic stories like this one so I assumed it was safer to transfer it here on AO3. The story elements deviate away from my normal writing, even with the modifications. But it's often better to just put stuff out than to say that it didn't exist in the first place!  
> I hope you guys enjoy! More to come soon!

For the Bad Friends Trio, the story of their friendship was one they loved to retell countless times. Antonio would be the one to smile, Francis would chuckle and Gilbert would slam his hands on the desk and beg endlessly to be the one to retell it. The three, having known each other as frenemies for so long, thought it to be unnatural for them to have clicked together so perfectly. Time still went on. From pirates to knights, swords to guns and from conquerors to conquered. It was just an inevitable relationship for the boisterous nations.

However, a special event was ready to take place only a few centuries after their historic friendship was born. It was a cold winter evening when Gilbert suggested they take a walk through the nearby forest of Kaliningrad. Something about commemorating their friendship and the place where the they had first met.

November had finally ended and the day seemed unusually bright for the them as they prepared to go on their hike. To their luck, the soft snow had almost reached its fourth inch, which meant that their usual conference for the week was cancelled. And thank God, too. Gilbert had always found it excessively mind-numbing having to sit through the same old lectures, even if he famously passed the time by flirting with the human maids.

Though that was always fun, the humans would always chat about the latest trends and fashions which the once great nation found rather dull but accepted over nothing. And each time, almost on cue, Gilbert would completely zone out about half way through. His mind usually drifting to thoughts of sweet rolls, beer and Christmas presents to buy for his harem of world countries.

After an easy morning, the three decided to meet just at the entrance of the trail. Francis was the first to arrive, of course as he had the tendency to be the earliest riser of the three.

He waved to the Prussian that came over next. Gilbert quickly noticed that Francis' hands were rustling about inside his pocket. What, was he fiddling with a condom in there? The other was almost tempted to ask.

"Did Antonio get your text?" Gilbert finally mentioned the second Francis came within ear shot. The Frenchman almost replied but a familiar shout came from another parked car in the distance.

"Guys! Sorry I'm late!!"

"Sacré bleu, you're always the last one!" Francis chuckled softly. They waited a moment for him to catch up. His smile was the kind to be contagious.

“Shall we be off?”

"Of course. We didn't sit on our asses all day just to do nothing!"

The three shared a familiar grin and began their hike. They happily trudged through the mostly untouched snow. And after walking for quite a while within the woods, cracking jokes and sharing pictures, the forest seemed to clear as they noticed a curiously large and ominous cave around the bend.

“WOW!” yelled Gilbert loudly. The cavern was rather massive, looking as if it could fit a plane within its hidden chambers. “Come on! Let’s check it out!” He insisted as the two threw him rather sarcastic looks. “Come on!” He begged once more. After a bit of pleading and laughter, they decided to venture inside seemingly having the time of their lives. And I mean, after all, what could really go wrong?

Well.

The actual story begins with an avalanche.

* * *

  
The snow and rocks tumbled down the side of the cliff menacingly; the countries having fallen back in shock when the rumbling began a few seconds ago. Antonio had to wait for the massive rocks settle down before he could even speak. The echoes of the chilling halls were not enhancing the previous serenity.   
“Is everyone alright?” called the Spaniard loudly, helping up Francis who had fortunately landed beside him.   
“ Oui , I’m fine. Where’s Gilbert?”   
“Here!” he yelped, hopping up off the ground and quickly pacing in the direction of his two close friends. He eventually came to a halt and eyed the gaping rock covering the cavern entrance.

“Aww shit, are we stuck in here?!” He asked anxiously. Spain knocked on the boulder in a harsh manner.

"Hellooo? Can anyone hear us?”

A quick few seconds of shouting spectrumed into thirty minutes of prying out stones. Antonio turned to the other two in defeat. "I don’t think we can get out of this one that easily, mis amigos..."  
The three gave a simultaneous sigh of frustration. The albino shut his eyes momentarily, trying his best not to go into an anxious fit. He started shivering moderately, causing Francis to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. Gilbert was being naturally over dramatic, but that never seemed to stop his French mother-hen from worrying over the prideful German.

"Well that's just fan-fucking-tastic." He laughed half heartedly before nervously swallowing cold, dry air. "There’s gotta be another way out of here, right? We’ll freeze to death!”

“I'm sure there’s a way. We just have to look harder is all.” interjected Antonio, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to keep them heated, though to no avail as it seemed practically impossible to keep anything warm in this weather.

“Well we b-better find another way out quick...I don’t think the three of us can handle this for long...”

Antonio glanced behind them, noticing the long tunnel that advanced ahead. "It looks like we can continue down this path, though." He said as he nodded in its direction.

The Frenchman smiled mischievously and drew closer to Antonio. “Oh, are you cold mon ami?  Well you know we could always share our body heat!” He purred as he walked a bit closer to the Spanish one. He wrapped his arms around him tightly. “Are you warm now~?”

The personification of Spain laughed and hugged him back as if it were nothing. The Prussian smiled in the meantime at his two over affectionate companions. “L-Lets just get out of here." He dismissed. "This place is terrifyi-- I-I mean totally boring...”

Antonio, turning to look at the Prussia, nodded in agreement. “C’mon! Vámanos!”

“Oh please no...” whined Francis. He could never really stand his singing.

Antonio’s childish song was cut short by soft rustling in the deeper end of the cavern. He turned towards the noise curiously but was greeted by nothing other than the shrill and solitary backdrop of the cave.

It was dark. In fact, too dark for Antonio’s liking. And on top of that he couldn’t shake the grim feeling which was currently bellowing in the pit of his stomach. Just as the he was about to lose interest, a shadow seemed to flicker across the light illuminating on the otherwise blackened cave walls. He hesitated for a moment before his interest suddenly peaked. He took a step forward.

“Un momento, I'll be right back...!”

Francis looked worried once more, losing his grip upon Antonio’s shoulders as the other moved away. Although worried, he decidedly moved to entwine himself with the Prussian, who seemed to be completely unphased by the action. Gilbert shot a worried glance at Antonio. He was almost completely out of his field of view. “W-Where are you going?! Get back here!!”

The albino continued to keep his eyes fixed on the other until Antonio completely disappeared from sight. And after several minutes of fretting, the half annoyed and half concerned German just gave up trying to call for him altogether. “Totally un-awesome...” he mumbled in annoyance.

“He’ll be alright, so long as you’ve got me around!~” chirped Francis, loving the fluffy jacket that was encompassing the Prussian’s form. Gilbert sighed at him.

“Don’t you think we should at least follow him? I-I mean...just in case something goes wrong? These walls really don't look that safe.”

“Well... if you insist--” Francis was cut off as the Prussian practically jumped out of his protective arms. “H-Hey! Gilbert mon amour, where are you going?!”

Gilbert charged after his friend, leaving Francis in his dust.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Antonio continued searching for whatever it was that had caught his eye. Fortunately for him, the embedments of ice in the stone walls lit the area enough for some visibility ahead of him . He looked further down the caver, and slowed his run to a comfortable jog. But then, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. His friends trailed behind him before long.

“Hey! Toni, what was that all about?” questioned Gilbert suspiciously, finally catching up to him now that he had stopped moving.

Spain however didn't hear them as his mind seemed to numb within the cold cavern air. An icy shiver crept up his spine.

"S-Santo...hijo de puta..."

The two came next to him and stopped in a similar manner to their companion. Francis and Gilbert's eyes went wide when their brains finally registered the sight before them. A frozen carcass of bones shone brightly before the trio. The remains of a corpse made brittle and dry by the freezing winter weather. There was still dried bits of blood soaked upon the tarnished clothing it wore and shallow rotten pieces of flesh were grossly obvious upon the almost petrified object that had crumbled with age.

"Mein gott.....”

Francis swallowed dryly as he quickly put a hand up to shield the stench. The smell was unbelievibly putrid and they barely had enough time to stop it before it wafted into their nostrils.  

“Merde... it stinks!”

Antonio, though to be fair to him, had experienced enough death in his life to remain composed. And so the Spaniard was calm as he curiously moved closer to the aged body.

“It looks like...” He peered at the 'uniform' it was wearing. Or at least what was left of it and glanced toward Gilbert for a moment. “Is it... One of yours?”  

The albino’s breath hitched in his throat as he stared at the corpse before him. A frayed insignia from the country of Germany sat proudly on his or her chest. He hesitated before reaching out to touch the broken warrior. “T-There's no doubt about it.."

He took a step back and tried his best not to show the amount of confusion and anger he was feeling. Though from the way his body stiffened, the Prussian became as easy to read as an open book.

Suddenly, Antonio began thinking aloud.

“You know... I've seen lots of dead things in my life...but this...There’s something off about this one...its wounded in certain ways, and i-it seems to be missing two limbs...”

Gilbert shuttered at that. A small whimper escaped his lips, which caused Spain to turn to him with concern. “Are you alright amigo? You’re acting very strange.”

For a country. The German’s disturbed gaze remained locked on the frozen carcass. “I-I...d-don't...”

He slowly began to calm himself before speaking. “L-Lets... Lets j-just get out of here...please...”   
“Sí, this is a good idea but-”

A calm hand settled on his shoulder. “I agree with Gilbert. T-This place is really starting to freak me out!”

“Uh, well.” Antonio began, not sure as how to put his next choice of words. “I don't mean to scare anyone, but,”  mumbled the other quietly as complete reticence settled over the cavern. “I don’t think we are the only one’s here.”

There was silence.

“W-What do you mean...?” Gilbert practically choked out as he glanced around the diy lit cavern hall. It was getting dark out. Soon, the three would have to rely on the light of their cellphones to navigate through the icy tomb. Antonio shivered, the cold already beginning to get to him. He laughed anxiously.

“I don't k-k-know about y-you guys...-b-but I'm not use t-to this kind of weather...” He laughed again. The dry humor was suspiciously ignored. Antonio looked back toward his friends and quickly noticed that Gilbert and Francis had begun peering at something further down the tunnel.

“What are you guys looking at?”

"I...think you were right mon ami.”

“About what?” replied Antonio loudly. Gilbert was silent.  
“About us not being alone in here." Francis's voice lowered to a whisper. "I can hear movement up ahead. I think something’s watching us.” He confirmed, pointing his finger directly in front of them. “And I think we should not be here to find out what--”

“W-We should ask whoever it is to help us!” The Prussian finally piped up. “Maybe t-they know the way out. HEY!” yelled out Gibert, his voice bellowing down the cavern halls like lightning across an empty valley.

“Shhh! Gilbert!!” Antonio warned, anxiously rushing over to cover the Gilbert’s mouth. The other yelped in surprise and anger, Antonio leaning close to his face. "You think if they wanted to help us they would have already come forth, no?”

Gilbert nodded his head in concession.

“Right. And they haven’t done that yet, correct?”

Gilbert shook his head and after a few moments the Spaniard finally released his grip on him. “Bien, then you get it now. We just have to find a way out ourselves!”  

“R-Right...but w-where...?" said Gilbert louder than he intended, forcing Antonio to remind him of the importance of silence.

Francis, on the other hand, had only just begun to wander a few steps in front of his companions before he realized that there was yet another problem to be dealt with.

“My friends!” He called back, instantly grabbing their attention. “There seems to be a fork in the tunnel ahead. S-Should we split up? I think this is only a one way path so if we find an exit or a dead end, we could meet back in the middle, non?”

Antonio responded cheerfully “Sí! Let’s do that! That's a good plan!”

The Prussian beside him gave them a ridiculous look.  “Are you shitting me? That’s a horrible idea!” He argued, gritting his teeth anxiously.  
“ ¿Qué ? Why is that? It will cut our searching time in half. Let's do it!” Antonio cheered.   
“W-What? Y-You’ve got to be kidding-- !” But before the Prussian knew it, Antonio had already left him to join Francis up ahead. He sighed in anguish and defeat.   
His friends couldn’t possibly be this stupid, right?!

After a few moments of shock, Gilbert finally followed, trying his best to ignore his gut feeling that this was a bad decision.

“Okay, then it’s settled! Which way should each of us go?”

Antonio hummed, tapping his fingers upon his mouth in thought. “I-I think...I’ll go to the right.” He announced, taking a step towards the darkness of the path just as a small gust of wind hit his chest. “H-Hey!” He gasped.

“There seems to be some air coming through!” He took another step away from them. “Why don't you two go down the left path, then?"

"It seems we might be out of here quicker than we thought!”  

The words broke up a little as another gust of wind rolled in, causing the Antonio to shiver bitterly. “I-It’s so c-cold!!” He exclaimed.  
“A-Are you sure you’ll be okay, Toni?” repeated Gilbert nervously.

Spain glanced over his shoulder as he walked away. “I’ll be okay! Don’t worry so much!” He replied with a laugh. And just like that, Antonio was gone.

Gilbert and Francis couldn’t do anything but worry for their wandering friend. Which was why when Antonio ultimately left their side, there was an awkward but knowing silence between the two companions.

That is, before Francis finally spoke up.

“Right then...” He said turning his attention back to the Prussian beside him. "Let’s go, Gilbert!" He continued. “If we don’t make it back in time, I’ll have to blame you for standing up my date!”

The Frenchman laughed, gently pushing the other down the left side of the cavern. It was evident that he was trying to keep the mood light by teasing the other and cracking stupid jokes. Though Gilbert seemed regretfully unaffected, he was grateful for his positiveness. He looked back down the right side of the cavern with worry, hoping to catch a glimpse of Antonio walking away. There was none. The sky was already blackening with the beginnings of dusk. Gilbert's stomach began to flip, sending a horrid feeling of nausea straight to his brain. None of this felt right, but he knew they’d eventually find a way out and everything would be okay. After all it was just a silly cave! It wasn’t like they’d be in here for long. No! It was really nothing to worry about! Tomorrow will be just as boring as the last!

Gilbert mentally kicked himself for thinking otherwise.  
Nothing to worry about.   
Nothing.

Or at least, that’s what Gilbert thought.

  
  



	2. The Junction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finally have time to do this (O.o)  
> Sorry about this being a year later than it was supposed to be written. Everything is all typed out on my computer and I just need to finish everything up to be more presentable. Graduation and school took that time away. But now that I'm done, I'm going to focus on this :)  
> More to come soon! :D

As the three began to separate from each other, Antonio pushed on ahead into his chosen direction.

He was alone, and though the silence was welcomed, he let himself be honest about his own feelings of fear and what could be out there. It was merely a cave, right? Accompanied by the sounds of bats and empty footsteps?

Antonio fought it off while trying to warm his hands.

Perhaps the other two were just as uneasy as he was. Masking that fear was the standard most countries had to deal with. The shutting off of emotions that goes on to prevent unnecessary panic.

His stomach growled. Food. He agreed on his stomach on that.

Antonio was a little hungry, but it wasn’t an issue, seeing as he didn’t need to physically eat on a daily basis. But regardless on how long it would take them to starve to death, Antonio was sure he didn’t want to stick around to test it.

He glanced backward and noticed that the other two were gone from his line of vision. In his mind, he secretly hoped that the paths would soon come together. In the case that a strange encounter (if any) were met, the other two could conveniently intervene to prove an unstoppable team of one versus three.

Antonio bit his lip as he dwelled on it.

But...what if there were more than three enemies?

A exhale escaped him as he continued to trudge onward; snow crunching lightly. It was uneasy how loud it was. If he went too slow, his frozen feet would result in a rapid frostbite before his body could feel it. A one up for the spectator.

Being too fast would also result in tripping and quick exhaustion. Not to mention that it would alert whatever was out there that its stalking act was spotted. At this point in time, his senses instead heightened to a seriousness he never usually expressed in a typical setting.

The air seemingly chilled around through in the snow trodden cave. Echoed noises of the bats chirping overhead suddenly became much more soothing to hear, as their presence proved his probable isolation less frightening. It was remarkably creepy altogether however, and there was no doubt that it wouldn’t last long before the sounds would disappear. He had to find a faster way out.

Antonio couldn’t shake the feeling that he, individually, was being watched by something other than the bats. But by _what?_

He really hoped he wouldn't find out.

Finally from behind him, there was an unwitnessed stone kick. His breath hitched instantly but quietly in his throat. He had half a mind to turn around and face the possible threat, but an old lesson taught him that the enemy would take that same opportunity to strike. But even as he kept walking, the sound of whatever (assuming _one_ thing now) was creeping behind him. This only justified his observations of another person stalking him. It sent an eerie shiver to him, especially when the light streaks above that were supposed to illuminate his path ahead were fading. The sun was going down.

After what felt like several heartbeats, he decided that he may as well face it. The damn country knew how to fight, and if the man or woman was bent on harming him, he may as well show him who was boss.

“I-I know you’re there.” he said shakily as the weather caught his voice box. “S-Show yourself.”

As anticipated, no reply had come out from it and a sickening feeling sunk to the bottom of his stomach. Oh _muy bien_. He had just revealed his knowledge of the possible foe. More wind blew from the direction he first came through, but he chose to ignore that. He bit his lip.

“I-If you are friendly, you have nothing to fear. I-I'm friendly too. Maybe you can help me and my friends find a way out...?”

He tried to sound jolly, but it proved rather pointless. Coaxing didn’t seem to work. Provocation would be too drastic a leap to attempt. His curiosity soon began to morph that feeling of dread and soon his troubles were starting to make sense as figments of his own imaginative fantasies.

Smiling also didn’t cover the fact that he was practically running away now, barreling down the path like a scrambling dog. The second his feet kicked up the snow, the assailant came close behind. And he ran blindly into whatever escape he could find.

In the end, his theory on tripping had come into reality. The snow was too thick to push through, and he plopped harmlessly into the cold blanket with a soft crunch. He turned swiftly around and shuffled back; snow dusting his hair and coat. He was unable to see clearly in the darkness.

Antonio quickly tried to regain his balance and stand. His hands pushed up and his legs searched for enough hard ground to stand on. But something else prevented him when something long sweep across his ankles in a single motion, successfully knocking his balance out of his control. The imprint of his body on the snow wasn't at all as cushioned as it had been because of his previous fall. When his body smacked the ground, he grit his teeth in annoyance. It was toying with him. His feet once more scrambled to find the ground, and he was able to race away a few more feet.

He crashed into something hard. The wall of the cave.

Antonio clutched his head and spun around as he then laid his back flush against that wall. The marching was all around him. But nothing could be felt but his own warm breath in the air.

He shifted his eyes to both sides of him to find the source of the sound. It was getting closer.

“This isn’t funny! Show yourself! Who are you?!”

A chilled hand fell upon his shoulder, causing him to suddenly jerk his leg forward into a powerful kick. His leg connected with something, and a grunted noise was heard. A man.

Antonio let out a yell as he then launched himself in the direction of the sound, wielding nothing but his ready fists to fight. When he stumbled forward, however, his hands met cold air.

It was silent once again. Antonio shuffled back to the wall and remained near it.

A brief moment of confusion settled before he allowed himself to dare move once more. A sudden loud crack echoed through the cavern as something brushed against his snow-coated boot. He was quick to jump back.

Another silence.

Antonio bit his lip again. He hesitantly bent down to examine the figure to investigate; the dimness was making too difficult to even see how many fingers he was holding up. But he reached a hand to touch it before gasping quickly and recoiling when he recognised the texture and shape. A skeleton’s skull.

Why was there another one here?

...

He didn’t like where this was going.

As he continued trudging in the snow, something flashed. Light; almost like it was a switch. Widening his tired eyes, he went on to approach the area where it was glowing.

It was a series of electric battery lights strung together by a single, unattended switch.

His eyes began to wander around the surroundings, looking at the spaces between the two ends of the cave before finally looking up.

A decoration of frozen corpses hung just barely above his head.

Antonio covered his mouth as the shock of so many bodies caused him to collapse on the floor in horror. They were naked, and some of them were swollen from the draining blood down their pale bodies.

Chuckling. Someone was chuckling.

Antonio had some sense to realise this and he looked frantically to find where it was. He felt so overwhelmed; he didn’t know what to expect anymore.

The frost was getting to him.

The steps grew louder again and his heart was thumping rapidly in the blackness. Snow didn’t seem to give the stalker any disadvantage.

It took Antonio minutes before he said his next response.

“...it’s you, isn’t it, _Señor_ Ivan?”

The laughter briefly stopped before a shadowy figure began to step out in front of the light of the lanterns. But it soon returned when Ivan indeed came into full view.

“Da! I’m glad you finally noticed!” he giggled. “Your fighting, although a little dulled in this weather, is enough to really _scare_ you enough to bite back!”

The Russian extended a hand to help him up. The other on the floor hesitated before taking it. The scenery did not make it any easier to take in, but fellow countries didn’t hurt fellow countries.

Right?

After he was on his feet, he uncomfortably kept his distance.   
“Ehehe...well...” said Antonio with a weak smile. “At least it’s good to know that I-I’m not alone.”

“Mm. Being alone is a terrible thing,” he hummed. Antonio then noticed how rather warm he was in that coat. And the boots he wore had good traction.

“But enough small talk. Do you like my decorations? I think they add a bit more...how you say... _finesse_ to the place. They are nice, da?” Ivan looked at the corpses admirably. “You are familiar with these, I believe. Everyday we see them.”

Antonio cleared his throat. “Well... _sí,_ perhaps we countries have seen more than enough of our share of corpses. But not exactly in this manner.” he felt nervous, unsure what Ivan would do if he didn’t agree with his opinion. Did he really think humans were _decorations_ to adorn a house? What of their lives? _Families?_

“Oh...before I forget,” he interrupted his own thoughts. “ _Mis amigos y yo_ were trying to look for an exit. H-Have you seen one around?”

Lovino must be worried sick about him.

Ivan smiled and nodded. “Oh yes. I saw one. As a matter of fact, it has been blocked by some boulders.”

Antonio froze.

“H-How recently?”  
“Mm...perhaps a while ago.”

A pause. Antonio dared to meet his eyes.

“Have you... _followed_ us?”

Ivan’s smile only widened.

“Da. I have been watching you three for quite a while.”

He stepped closer. Antonio stepped back.

“But I am afraid, now that you know my secret, I cannot allow you to leave.” He almost looked disappointed about it.

The Spaniard’s heart sank immediately at his answer, but countered it with a smile of his own. Cover it. Don’t let him know that you know.

“Oh really?” he laughed nervously. “T-Then what do you expect us to do?”

“Nothing.” he said, taking his pipe out excitedly. “You are like three little mice in a maze with a snake. We will have a lot of the fun.”

That was the last straw. Antonio sprinted away from the light to the direction to his friends.

Even if it was a dead end, they needed to be warned.

_“FRANCIS! GILBERT!”_

He screamed as loud as his lungs could manage. Ivan gave a wry smile as he easily went after him; pipe in hand. 

* * *

  
There was a sudden scream heard throughout the tunnel. Francis's attention barely took much notice, but he did blink in realization. He held up a hand to stop Gilbert's loud crunching in the snow.  
"...what was that?"  
Gilbert suddenly felt his stomach sink.  
"W-What? I...d-don't kno--"  
The scream reverberated, louder this time as both men felt their breaths hitching in their throats.  
"T-Toni?!" screamed Gilbert as he suddenly felt rushed to find his friend. Francis uneasily followed. They went back to the fork, barreling down the path.  
"Antonio?!"

" _Mon ami?_ If you can hear us, say something!!"

But before either of them could really advance, the screams began only one more time before struck with an unhealthy crack of bone.

The two were suddenly in front of a massive horde of bats zooming toward them. And they barely ducked out of the way as the echoed screeching grew fainter and fainter.

Until the silence turned deafening to the ears.


End file.
